"Gaggin' permitted?" enquired Mr. Stillbottle, without much hope.
"Certainly not."
"Very good. So long, everybody. Exit Russell, door in back."
With a theatrical gesture, the ci-devant impersonator of elephants' hind legs disappeared. The Welwyns regarded one another apprehensively.
"Oh, dear!" said Mrs. Welwyn.
"We must make the best of him, Martha," said her husband. "After all, we did not invite him here of our own accord: he has to be present in the house in some capacity. Still, I admit he is the weak spot in our enterprise--the heel of Achilles, so to speak."
But Mr. Welwyn was wrong.
CHAPTER XX
REHEARSED EFFECTS
"Has Herbert," enquired Mrs. Welwyn, taking a deep breath, "hurt Horace?" She choked. "Oh, dear!"